just bought an 02 Mountaineer

[fusseli]

i am a first time exploder/mountaineer owner. gained interest from a friends old '96 4.0L Limited. just bought this mountaineer last monday, 2002 mountaineer (3rd gen, clearly) 4.6L AWD, seems loaded with all but sunroof and was very clean. 112k on it, paid $7200. http://yfrog.com/9gdownsizenjx

no glaring problems at all, have driven several hundred miles in the last week testing it out. there's an occasional hard shift somewhere between 2nd and 4th gear, has maybe happened twice though. the cruise control also seems to "hunt" for gears when going up steep grades, turning o/d off seems to help a bit. i hope the gear searching doesnt indicate it's slipping out of gear... other than that it shifts and rides pretty damn smooth, with all the power i'd expect.

AWD works well so far although i've noticed a single front wheel will spin and the other will not, when given a gnarly approach on an old 4x4 road. can't say for sure on the rears. i thought all these would have limited slip? from a take-off on a flat dirt road and accelerating through corners on dirt, the AWD works like a charm with no wheel spin and the gas pedal to the floor.

where can i check the build date? i have read around a bit on here and it seems like 02s had multiple known issues. anything i should do and/or look into soon? the dealer i bought it from turned the front rotors and changed the oil, nothing else. i'm considering taking it in to get the tranny and differential fluids changed.

thoughts and/or comments?

 

[fusseli]

went in to a grease monkey today and had the transmission and transfer case fluid done. they said the fluid was "pretty black," receipt says they used 15qts of Mobil 1 on the tranny but only 2qts on the transfer case... does that sound right? i'm really hoping not too much damage was done by obvious lack of maintenance by previous owners :-/

where and how do i check if i have limited slip differentials so i know what oil to use? i have the tow package so that should mean i at least have limited slip in the rear. they're next on the list for new oil.


i've been reading around a lot and see it's still normal for tranny fluid to be changed every 30k-60k miles. i did also just discover this quote on ford-trucks.com about the 02 explorere and 5R55W:

Another major change is in what cannot be found under the hood - a dipstick. The new transmission is sealed at the factory with 11 quarts of a semi-synthetic blend of specially formulated fluid that should not require service for 150,000 miles. This is a benefit to owner convenience and the environment.

huh.

 

[CALDWELL]

if your gonna stay stock, then this is what i would do for a little PM / TUNE UP

synthetic motor oil

synthetic transmission oil - glad to see you addressed that issue...

plugs / wires

air filter - suggest K&N

coolant

brake fluid

fuel system cleaner

fuel filter - prob a good idea...

replace hoses / belts

 

[fusseli]

if your gonna stay stock, then this is what i would do for a little PM / TUNE UP

synthetic motor oil

synthetic transmission oil - glad to see you addressed that issue...

plugs / wires

air filter - suggest K&N

coolant

brake fluid

fuel system cleaner

fuel filter - prob a good idea...

replace hoses / belts

already changed the oil, used cheap conventional. will probably switch to mobil 1 synthetic after 3000. it's already been 1k hahaha.

motorcraft fuel filter and haynes manual are in the mail already ;-)

it does have 112k, since it was traded in around that mileage i'd also doubt plugs were ever changed. i'll pull one sometime soon and have a look...

coolant, brake, power steering were all just topped off when i had the tranny and t-case changed. serpentine belt looks like it's in pretty good shape.



my plans are pretty simple:

oversize tires - may or may not lift it, not excited about lifting after seeing how much work it can be on these 3rd gens. hoping to fit 265/70 r16 or 245/75 r16 on stock wheels without a lift...

exhaust - so far i've seen the Gibson and Magnaflow 2.5" cat-back kits. really considering the magnaflow.

intake - haven't decided on a CAI or just doing a drop-in k&n and the airbox mod. after playing in some puddles and seeing how much does splash up all over the engine compartment, i may just save $$ and not get a full CAI kit.

sound system - already in motion. i'd call myself an audiophile.

bull bar - perhaps.

 

[fusseli]

great...

i'd post in the 911 section but for some reason can't.

SES (service engine soon) light came on yesterday, for no obvious cause. This morning the first time I turned the key nothing happened but the gauges flicked. Thought nothing ov it, tried again, and it started right up and drove fine to work. After work today the car's completely stone dead. Trying to jump start it just clicks but won't turn over... theft light would flash quickly whenever i tried to start it and also made a clicking noise with the flashes, gauges would either flick or go their full sweep and stay there.

 

[zerodevil]

get yourself a code reader at a auto shop, unless the light was flashing, there is just an electrical issue, this should be an easy fix. read the code and let us know whats up. could be a dead starter, either that or the battery you were jumping from wasnt strong enough to turn the motor, these things need about 350 amps to engage the sylanoid.

 

[fusseli]

Thanks for the quick reply. Still have no Idea why I can't start a thread in 911...

My current plan is to go back and swap out the battery for a new one. The car is stranded at work, so I guess it could be in a worse place.

Would the SES light come on instead of the battery light if yesterday the alt were not charging or battery was getting low? Haven't noticed the battery light come on or volt gauge reading low when I drove this morning.

 

[fusseli]

hmmm I wonder if not being able to post in the 911 section is post count related...

anyhow. After a bit of searching I've seen similar issues where people thought it was the anti-theft system acting up and/or a low battery. No obvious conclusions yet. Strange the my check engine light came on yesterday, now no start today.

 

[BigRondo]

hmmm I wonder if not being able to post in the 911 section is post count related...

Only those with Elite Explorer Status are allowed to post in the "911" section. For information on becoming Elite Check out this: http://www.explorer4x4.com/elite.html

I feel it is well worth it. You are probably going to save more than the yearly fee on the first repair you do yourself with the help of this forum! I know I have.

 

[Joe Dirt]

If it were me, I'd take it back- sounds like an electrical gremlin, and I'd demand that they assist you in diagnosing it. I mean- you've had it, what- 2 weeks? Besides- They got a pretty decent penny for that truck.

I like the color combo though- looks nice, we'll get 'er figured out!

 

[fusseli]

Well just got er back up and running. The old battery was a Motorcraft without a date on it, if that suggests anything. Picked up a Bosch with 850cca (may as well upgrade eh? Motorcraft/stock was 750) and it fired up first try, nothing out of the ordinary. On the 20min drive home the SES light never came back on either.
Will try and get my alt checked tomorrow and pull codes anyways. Not sure I trust the message center saying "charging system ok," especially when my volt gauge never ran low when the old battery was apparently toast. Also discovered that the cheesy replacement neg battery terminal was put on by someone so loose that the cable wiggled inside of it. Scary.

Further proof that the theft light and/or gauge wackiness can be attributed to a dead battery.


*****


Now, too chase down my lurking tranny and surging issues. Since this is more or less a general 'me' thread...

I do experience surging when I get on the throttle. This has happened so far in 3rd or 4th, as well as in 1st from take off. If I'm easy on the gas pedal I never feel it. I'm crossing my fingers that the motorcraft fuel filter I put in next weekend will help...

Before I had the tranny fluid completely flushed/replaced last week I had some pretty bad shifting problems. Driving while the engine was cold would result in nasty shuddering and hard shifts. Now after the fluid, the shuttering is almost completely gone. Still have hard shifts, including about every time I go in or out of O/D. So far there's no noises or grinding. As I've read, possible remedies include: solenoid block and/or valvebody (VB) replacement and a PCM flash since mine's an 02. Any other ideas or are the days of my tranny numbered?

Also, if I accelerate hard and suddenly let off the throttle there's a hard clunk. As I've read, this could be differential kickback and not the tranny itself? Anyone confirm/refute this or maybe suggest a fix? My only thought would be to change the diff oil. Pretty sure it should be limited slip since I have the tow package. Can anyone confirm that one too?

 

[fusseli]

Went to Autozoo today, they claim it returned no codes. That and their alt tester wasn't working so they couldn't test that. May go somewhere else tomorrow for another shot at it.

 

[fusseli]

got a Motorcraft fuel filter in over the weekend in addition to my sound system seen here http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=283647

the old fuel filter was also a motorcraft and was glued to the bracket with a glob of soft rubbery adhesive. does that sound like an original part? poured a cup of water through it backwards and it came out looking like iced tea. sigh. how hard is it for previous owners to do simple routine maintenance?

 

[xlt03]

Your build date is 05/01 = May 2001 see upper left of door label
Axle D4 = 3.73 Limited Slip (verify by looking at metal plate attached to diff. cover in rear)
Synthetic Differential Oil 75-145Wt
Friction Modifier for LS

 

[fusseli]

Your build date is 05/01 = May 2001 see upper left of door label
Axle D4 = 3.73 Limited Slip (verify by looking at metal plate attached to diff. cover in rear)
Synthetic Differential Oil 75-145Wt
Friction Modifier for LS

thanks, ya i verified the tag on the rear. also noticed a casting that says "synthetic oil only," so good call. is it safe to assume that all front diffs are open and not LS?

i haven't found a good thread yet on chaning the diff oil on 3rd gens. i did see a big plug near the bottom of the diff, that might make drain & fill really easy. i haven't yet consulted my Haynes manual to see what it says for diff oil change.

 

[xlt03]

Here's one http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=245797
Make sure you start with the upper (smaller plug) first. If you can't get that off you won't be able to fill the differential. If the upper comes off then drain the diff at the lower (larger) plug. To get oil in use a pump that screws onto the bottle, Pennzoil makes one that is available at Autozone, Kragen/O'reily. Apply Teflon tape to both the filler and drain plug threads to prevent leakage. Two bottles of gear fluid and friction modifier is all you need.

Front is open and uses 75-90 oil.

 

[fusseli]

Developed a pull to the right at highway speeds. Took it in for an alignment and discovered a broken spring in the passenger side rear. Big surprise?

Yet another '02 3rd gen with a broken coil spring...

The shop quoted me $400 in parts for replacing shocks + springs, seems a little high (on rockauto and o'reilly I'm seeing about $350 for that) since I see quick struts are about $400 for a pair. Oh well, may just do socks/springs at this random shop it for simplicity's sake.

 

[BigRondo]

fusseli, check out this website for complete struts: http://www.primechoiceautoparts.com/p-4972-strut-assembly-cst100123-new-ready-to-install-mmy-.aspx

At least one member has installed them with positive results.

 

[fusseli]

I decided to have the alignment shop do the rear springs and shocks since I need to spend some time on my tbird this weekend and wouldn't have had a chance in the near months to get to it. After I saw the bill when the work was done I wished I'd have just dirven on the broken spring another five or six weeks. $140/hr for labor at a tire shop? Seriously? Shoulda known :-/ Well I did know... Could have gone without the reminder of why though.

On the bright side I have new sets of Monroe Reflex struts and "Ford" springs. Though I still need an alignment, damn it.

 

[alexk]

Ill be honest with you and I mean no offense by this. You got riped off by the dealer. I only paid $5400 for my 02 V8 4X4 with 91K miles. If it was me, I would have been back at the dealer after the check engine light came very shortly after the purchase.